F&C links up with iChild to provide age-tailored financial tips

F&C has linked up with specialist parenting website ichild.co.uk to become its Children's Savings Partner.

The partnership, which went live at the start of 2010, aims to offer tailored financial tips for parents of children in the five main age groups catered for by iChild: 0-12 months, 1-3 years, 3-5 years, 5-7 years and 7-11 years. Parents could already access child development information as well as activities for each age group, and the new F&C content slots in alongside this, including printable activity sheets based on simple financial concepts such as coin recognition.

The children's savings pages offer useful tips on things like budgeting, pocket money and financial education, as well as information on how to choose, top up or switch a Child Trust Fund, and other savings options for children, from deposit accounts to stockmarket-linked savings plans and pensions.

F&C is a major provider of Child Trust Funds, with a choice of stakeholder (investing in a FTSE all-Share tracker OEIC) or shares-based plans (investing in F&C's range of investment trusts). The largest of those trusts, Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust, is sponsoring a school-based financial education programme for 5-7 year olds called Pounds and Pennies, and activities from this programme are also available through iChild.

Phil Bird, director of iChild, said: "We have a large membership base of parents and grandparents who are all concerned about the development and education of their children. We are delighted with the new partnership with F&C as we are now able to provide excellent financial information and guidance to our members. Plus, we can educate a new generation of savers, with the excellent children's activities that parents can download from the website. The early reaction from members has been very positive, and we look forward to a successful long term partnership with F&C ".